Animal form pendants or charms (hereinafter referred to as "animal charms") made out of precious metals are known. Such charms generally have extremities which are either solid or hollow. The hollow extremities are easier to cast and require less material. Since such animal charms are made out of precious metals such as gold or platinum, savings in material is an important economic consideration.
The connection between the main body of the animal charm and its extremities enables relative rotation therebetween. Further, rotation of the "leg" extremities of the animal charm should enable the animal charm to stand up in one position and sit down in another position without toppling over in either position. Therefore, the connection between the main body and the extremities can not allow too much play or the animal charm will not stay balanced and will topple over. Also, too much play can result in gaps opening at the joint making the joint look weak.
Where the extremity is solid, an end of a pin is welded to the center of a flat face of the extremity. Where the extremity is hollow, an end of a pin is soldered into a hole in a spanning bar that extends across the open end of the hollow extremity. In both cases, the opposite end of the pin is then inserted through a hole in a flat outer surface portion of the main body and into the hollow of the main body. This opposite end of the pin is then further inserted through the center opening of a retaining ring. The retaining ring has a greater outer diameter than the hole in the body through which the pin is inserted. The retaining ring is then soldered in place on the pin. Thus, one end of the pin is secured to the extremity and the opposite end of the pin is secured to the retaining ring. If all went well, the extremity would be rotatable relative to the main body at the joint therebetween.
However, assembly did not always go so smoothly due to the close proximity of the soldering points. There are two solders which secure opposite ends of the spanning bar to the open end of the extremity next to the main body. Another solder secures the one end of the pin to the central hole in the spanning bar which is also next to the main body. All these solders are so close to the main body that soldering the retaining ring to the inside of the flat of the main body in the final step can easily heat the other solders to the point where they flow onto the main body. This results in the joint between the main body and extremity becoming immobile due to this fusing together of the main body and extremity.
The spanning bar complicates the assembly procedure. The shape and size of the spanning bar varies depending upon the extremity for which it is to be used. Thus, each spanning bar must be separately identified prior to assembly to avoid confusion. Each spanning bar must be grated in its own right direction so that it will be in properly positioned across the respective open end of the extremity to enable insertion of a pin into the hole in the correct alignment.
Further, the spanning bar must be properly oriented across the open end of the extremity so that the pin will be inserted precisely into the hole. Any slight deviance in the alignment will require that the spanning bar be completely repositioned, thereby requiring further soldering. There is no easy way to adjust the spanning bar after it has been misaligned.
In order to facilitate positioning of the spanning bar, notches are made into the inner surface of the extremity at the open end. If the spanning bar is misaligned, all the solder must also be cleaned out of the notches before trying to position the spanning bar into a correct alignment.
If the joint has too much play after assembly, the joint must be disassembled and repositioned. Too much play can also arise over time, due to wear and tear. It can also arise due to the setting of precious stones, polishing, etc. With too much play, the joint will be freely rotatable of its own accord so that the extremities do not remain in desired positions but rather rotate freely due to gravity relative to the main body.
It would therefore be desirable to reduce labor and material costs in the assembly of the animal form charm by eliminating the spanning bar from the connection system and thereby reduce the likelihood of accidental fusing together of the main body and extremities as well. It is also desirable to eliminate excess play in the joint without disassembling the joint.